1. Technical Field
The invention relates in general to estimating the size of animals and, in particular, to an improved system, method, and apparatus for sizing animals while hunting wild game to determine whether an animal is large enough or old enough to be harvested without violating the laws of the jurisdiction in which the animal is being hunted.
2. Description of the Related Art
Estimating the size of animals in the wild can be difficult due to many factors such as the distance from an animal, low light conditions (e.g., before sunrise), weather conditions, etc. The ability to correctly judge the size of an animal is particularly important for hunters. Legal jurisdictions such as states and counties have laws that regulate the seasons, types, number, and sizes of animals that can be legally harvested.
For example, some jurisdictions limit buck deer harvesting to those animals having an inside antler spread of 13 inches or greater. A legal buck deer may be defined as having: a hardened antler protruding through the skin and at least one unbranched antler; or an inside spread measurement between main beams of 13 inches or greater. To determine if a buck has an inside spread measurement of at least 13 inches, an estimate must be made of the distance from ear-tip to ear-tip on a buck with its ears in the alert position. Points are also used to judge deer antlers. A point is a projection that extends at least one inch from the edge of a main beam or another tine. The tip of the main beam is also a point. A legal deer also can have at least one unbranched antler. Although these various criteria are typically well defined by legal authorities, precise estimations of the criteria remains difficult for the reasons described above. Thus, some form of assistance for aiding and educating individuals in judging the size of animals would be desirable.